Frequent questions

The reality is that the charge that an electric car needs is not at all like that of any other appliance in your home. An electric vehicle requires, on average, about 10 hours for its battery to be fully charged. Thus, you need a cable and a charger that will hold up all this time without causing any problems. . 

But why do I need a cable and a charger? Because of their safety, their speed, and their possibility for financial savings. 

• SAFETY – El cable y el cargador que van conectados a nuestro EV son inteligentes, por lo que disponen de un dispositivo de seguridad que hace que la carga se apague de forma automática en caso de emergencia. A este tipo de cable se le llama Modo 2. 
• SPEED – Thanks to these smart chargers, charging is much faster than with any other simple cable. While the speed at which you can charge your vehicle also depends on your vehicle’s battery and the charging power you have, EV chargers offer much more power than a conventional one. 
• ECONOMICAL – With this type of charger, you can make your vehicle use the energy to charge itself during a specific range of times. The companies that supply electricity raise prices when there is greater demand and lower them when demand is lower, so you can make your car charge at the times when prices are down. 

You can try to charge your vehicle at home, at work, or on the street; but, if the type of charger is not the right one for your vehicle, it won’t do any good. This is logical, isn’t it? 

There are four types of chargers: two for charging with alternating current (AC) and two for direct current (DC). Both types are suitable for hybrid and electric cars. 

ALTERNATING CURRENT 

• TYPE 1: This is a single-phase plug that is usually used in vehicles in America and Asia. Its charging power is up to 7.4 kW, always depending on the power supply network and the charging power of the plug itself. 
• MENNEKES  TYPE 2:  These are three-phase plugs; that is, they use three conductors to bring the electricity to your vehicle. This makes you able to charge your car faster. In homes, the maximum charging power is 22 kW and, in the public charging network, this power increases to 43 kW. This type of charger is very common in Europe.

DIRECT CURRENT 

• CHAdeMO – This type of charger allows for very high charging powers, as well as the possibility of bi-directional charging. Its maximum load power is 100 kW. It was developed in Japan.
• CCS – This is very similar to the type 2 AC system, but it is improved with two additional contacts to be able to accommodate a fast charge. It is compatible with both alternating and continuous currents. Its maximum charging power is 350 kW.

This is a very frequent question and the reality is that it depends a lot on several factors such as the country in which you live, the company that supplies you with electricity, the hours in which you charge your vehicle, and where you do the charging from. 

CHARGING IN YOUR HOME 

The average price for charging your electric vehicle is very different across Europe. In countries like Norway, the average price is around €0.21 / kWh, while in countries like Spain it is around €0.54 / kWh. 

In some countries you can benefit from the so-called “off-peak” hours. During these hours, the price of consumption is lower; thus, charging your vehicle will be cheaper. You also have to know that, depending on the type of charge that is used, the price will be higher or lower. Slow charging is much cheaper than fast charging, so it makes perfect sense to use slow charging at home since the vehicle can be plugged in for long periods.  

CHARGING AT A PUBLIC STATION 

The prices of these stations depend directly on the company that owns the station. Said company is responsible for setting whatever rate it wants, as well as for promotions or specific rates. With Wenea, you can charge your electric vehicle for €0.30 / kWh. 

It is true that many of these companies are reaching different agreements with restaurants, supermarkets, shopping centers, etc. so that the charge is free and so users can consume in those places. 

Currently, and depending on the battery capacity, electric vehicles can travel between 200 km (with a model like a Renault ZOE) and 580 km (with a Tesla Model X) on a single charge. However, we must be aware that this world is changing every day and, therefore, the capacity of these batteries increases quickly. To go on a big trip with an EV, it is important to organize your trip in advance so as to plan where the charging points are located. 

ELECTRIC VEHICLES ARE RELIABLE AND USEFUL 

Very often we hear hundreds of theories about the autonomy of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure and, in the end, this is something logical: no one wants to be stuck along the road because their car’s battery has run out. People travel on average about 60 km a day with their vehicle, and a full charge can give you between 200 and 580 km of autonomy, so it is not necessary to charge your vehicle daily. 

It should be noted that the infrastructure for charging points is growing very quickly, and the autonomy of vehicle batteries is getting better. A few years ago, an EV battery had much less autonomy than an EV battery now. It is also true that autonomy depends on other factors such as the way one drives and temperatures outside. 

Electric vehicles can charge through two types of current: alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC). The energy that comes from the charging network is always AC and your vehicle can store DC, so you need power converters for the two types to be compatible. This is the same as with the smartphone and computer chargers that we use daily. 

CHARGING WITH ALTERNATING CURRENT 

This is the method most used by today’s electric vehicles. The vehicles have inside a device called an “on-board charger,” which is responsible for converting the AC and DC to the other type as needed. The energy is converted inside the vehicle and then put into the battery. 

The usual charging power for this type is 22 kW and it is very useful for home chargers.

CHARGING WITH DIRECT CURRENT 

As we have seen earlier, the energy that goes to the vehicle always goes in the form of AC. The difference between the two types of charging is where energy conversion takes place, in the external charger or inside the vehicle (through the “on-board charger”). A DC charger includes the converter inside. Thanks to that, the electricity goes directly to the battery without having to go anywhere else inside the vehicle.  

This is the most common charge on the road or at public charging points since its power is much greater than AC. Having said that, more and more users are using this type of charge in their homes.

The Wenea ecosystem offers, among other things, an app through which you can find all the available charging points. You can download it from the App Store or Play Store. 

Our application has a map with the exact location of the charging points. Likewise, you will be able to know the status of these stations in real time; that is, if they are occupied or free. In addition, you will be able to know the types of chargers available at each station and their status. There is also a legend in which the green dots are available stations, the purple dots are stations that will be available soon, and the blue dots are other charging stations. Finally, within our application, you can perform specific searches using filters. 

These services allow you to make your journey with the greatest possible peace of mind, knowing at all times where you can charge your vehicle. 

The reality is that it depends a lot on the capacity of the vehicle’s battery and how much energy it is capable of storing inside. There are cars that have a capacity of 30 kW and others, such as the Tesla Model S, whose capacity is 100 kW. 

The formula for knowing how long it will take to charge your vehicle is very simple: divide the battery capacity by the charging power and you will get the answer. 

Charging power is the amount of energy that can be fed into a battery in an hour. It depends on the power supply network, the charger your car has inside, and your external charger. 

• Power supply network: All electrical networks have a maximum power that the network can give you. If you have a maximum of 5 kW, the network can never give more than that charging power to all the appliances in your home that are connected thereto. 
• Electric vehicle: The on-board charger limits the power that reaches your car. Power can vary between 3.7 kW and 22 kW. 
• Charger: Each type of charger has a power limit for bringing energy to the vehicle. AC chargers have a maximum of 22 kW and a DC of 350 kW.